Dynamo-electric variable gearing.



P. GOLLISOHONN. DYNAMO ELECTRIC VARIABLE (HEARING. APPLICATION FILED JUNE30, 1900.

5 18 I g A 0 I m j 34 1mm UNITED STATES OFFICE.

manner. GQLLISGH NN, or rnnnxrom-on-rnnnnm, GERMANY, Assmnon, rev MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0 GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A oonronnrion on NEW YORK.

1 DYNAMIC-ELECTRIC VARIABLE GEARING.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRIEDEL CoLLIsoHoNN, a subject of the German Emperor, and a resident of F rankfort-on-the-Main, Germany, have invented cei'tain new and useful Improvements in Dynamo-Electric Variable Gearings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to variable speed gearing and more particularly to that type in which the whole or part of the power delivered by an engine or prime mover is transformed into electrical energy and subsequently transformed back by means of a motor.

In motor vehicles as now constructed, an engine is used which may be considered a high speed engine and therefore it is necessary to provide a reduction gearing between the engine and the driven members or the wheels. There is also provided a change speed gearing in the line of connection between the engine and the driven members so that the ratio of transmission between the engine and the driven members may be varied. It will be seen however that this reduction of speed through the change speed gearing necessarily involves loss. The practice therefore is to provide for a direct drive connection between the engine and the driven shaft connected to the driven members so that the change speed gearing may he cut out, the speed being controlled under ordinary conditions by means of a throttle valve,

in case the engine is a hydrocarbon engine, and the change speed gearing proper is thrown into operation only when climbing hills or when it is desired to run" the vehicle at an exceedingly low speed. The objection to toothed change speed gearing, however, is the large loss by friction, thewear, the noise, andthe uneconomical operation An other objection to toothed change speed gearing is that the speed can only be varied in steps and not gradually, the ordinary motor vehicle being adapted. for two to four S78E61 changes. 1

The object of this invention is to construct a change speed gearing which will not be open to the objection of the ordinary type. which will be economical in operation, and which will be exceedingly flexible and adapted to gradual changes of speed.

.ln ac ordance with this invention, an electrical change speed gearing is placed in Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 6, 1914,

the line of transmission between the c:

ine and the driven members.

The engine d A v es a compensating device or diiierentiah one of the elements of which has a mechanical connection with one of the driven members, and the other element of which has a connection with the other driven member, the driven members being connected each to a driving wheel of the vehicle. In the line of connection between the compensating device and a second driven member are a plurality of couplings, one of which is an electrical coupling and the other a mechanical coupling. The electrical coupling is preferably of the generatormotor type in which the current generated by the generatm is dcliv ered to the motor, and from there the ener 1 is transformed back into mechanical energy to the driven member. The gearing is so arranged that either one of these couplings may be thrown into and out of operation so as to make the driving connection either an electrical or a mechanical connection.

The invention will be described in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which the figure is a plan view showing an application of the gearing forming. the subject-matter of this invention, parts being shown in section.

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates a prime mover or engine preferably of the hydrocarbon type, although it may b any other type oi": engine, and ii and 12 dcsignate the driven members, which in this case are sprockets arranged to transmit power to the driving wheels 01' a motor vehicle, although the invention is not necessarily limited to this application of the invcniioit The driving shaft 13 of the engine connected to drive a compensating device or differential 14, provided with the usual differential pinions 15-. One oi the elements 16 of the compensating devicehas a mruihanical connection with the shaft 20 of one of the driven members 11 through a shait l? and bevel gears 18 and 1th The other element 21 has a connection with the sl'ailt 26 of the other driven member 12 through. a sectional shaft comprising sections and 23 and through level gears 24 111M125 on the shaft section 23 and the shaft 26 l( p tivcly. The shaft 17 and the she s r ous 2 and 23 are in nestcdrcla'tion and the shaft sections and ranged to be coupled to transmit pen or tin section 22 to the section 23 by means oi? accomplishes the objects aimed at. An ex- :1 plurality Of couplin 's, one of which is an electrical and the ther n llilOCllflUlPll conplin The electrical conplin consists of generator-motor COUPllIlg. The generator comprises an armature 2T rigidly secured to and driven from the shaft 22, and a field The motor comprises an illi'illlilllc 29 rigidly secured to and driving the shirts 23, end a field 30. The fields 2% and 30 are stationery {IS shown. While the i1 rmatnres revolve. The motor driven by the engine and through shaft 22 generates current which is trziinsn'iitted to the motor so as to rnnsforin :icol energy hack into the mechenical energy it the motor shaft The gen.- omtor motor set is controlled by means oi suitable rheoststs 31 and 82 substantially as she in ll. 5. letent to Albrecht, No. 86l,do.l, July 30, 1907, Fig. The shaft sections and 28- are provided with it- ;ilile members an and 34; respectively, which are arranged to engaged by a. sliding conpling member 35 so as to clutch the shaft sections together. It will be understood of course that the shafts 22 and 23 rotate in opposite directions while the slinft 17 rotates in the some direction the t section 22.

it will he St t there mechanical connc in between the enpgi and one of he drii ull members, mime-l ll, out the connection between the engine a id the other driven member 1? can be made. either on electrical or mechanical conncc i at will. throwing; out the coiiplin member and closing the electrical circu t, the connec tion will be through the generator-motor set and the driven members can he driven at any desired speed by the rhco' stats Bl and At high speed, ii direct drive may be obtained by opening the orator-motor circuit by means of ii suitable switch is Well known to those skilled in the art, and the coupling member can then loo thrown into engagement with 33 and 34, so as to provide a, mechanical connection between the engine and both driven members. I

Due to the fact that two S8IlS-WOlH1(l machines are used, one as a generator and the other as a motor, the arrangement is nl most perfectly selflregulalzing. If, for any reason, the driving member 1:2 slows down while being driven by its generator motor coupling, the armature 29 of the motor will also slow down. Consequently a very small counterele romotivc force is exercised by the motor thereby causing an increase of on "rent to flow This throws proportionate additional work upon the generator which will then also slow down. The diilerence in power delivered by the constant speed-engine is then balanced by the compensating device or difierentiel,

It will thus be seen that this invent-ion ceedingly simple efficient gearing is produced by means of which. the driven memhers, or the vehicle in case the gearing is used in connection with a motor vehicle, can driven at any desired speed, in which .ed can. be changed gradually by of the rlieostets 3]. and 32, and in i o. direct drive may be readily cl mini-r by tl'iroi ng out the electrical coumin-Hind throwing in the mechanical con Having thus described the invention, what is cl lll'iYlGC is: V

1. The combination with it plurality of driven members and an engine, of a. compensating device connecting said engine with one of said driven membe s, a. gencrzh torsmotor coupling connecting the engine with another of said driven members, and means for nicclinnicelly connecting the memhers of said coupling.

The combination with :1 plurality of driven members and an engine, (I: e com-- pehsziting device connecting said engine with one of said driven members, a. genem- ULNFI'IlOL-Of coupling connecting the engine with another of-seid driven members, and means for making it a mechanical connection, said means being capable of being cut out 3 The combination with a pair of driven members and an engine, 01 s compensating device comprising a pair of elements, means connecting one the elements of said de- VlCu to one or said driven members, a genermor-motor coupling for connecting the other of the elements of said device to the other of said driven members, and means for mechanically connecting the members of said coupling.

i. The combination with a plurality of driven members and an engine, of a, pair of nested shafts connected to said engine and said driven members, one of said shafts comprising sections, and a generator-motor couplin'g connecting said sections.

5. The combination with a plurality of driven members and an engine, ofqa pair of nested shafts connected to said engine and said driven members, one of said shafts comprising sections, a generator-motor coupling connecting said sections, and means for mechanically connecting the members of said coupling.

.6. The combination with a plurality of driven members and an engine, of a pair of nested shafts connected to said engine and said driven'n'icmbcrs, one of sold shafts comprising sections, and a generator-motor end a mechanical coupling cmniecting said sections.

7. The combination with a plurality of driven members and an engine, of it compensating device driven by the engine, and

a mechanical and a generator-mot0r connectio n between said compensating device and said driven members.

8; The combination with a pair of driven members, and an engine, of a compensating device driven by the engine, a mechanical connection between one of the elements of said device and one of said driven members, and a generator-motor and a mechanical coupling between the other element of said device and the other of said members.

9. The combination with a plurality of driven members and an engine, of a eompensating device driven by the engine, a pair of shafts connecting said device with said driven members, one of said shafts being sectional, and a generator-motor and a me chanical coupling connecting said sections.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRI'EDEL COLLISCHONN.

Witnesses Jnix Gnuxn,

11mm DmnEL. 

